Sewage backup keeps Monroe County justice building closed at least through July 29
Monroe County’s justice center will remain closed at least through Wednesday after a sewer backup last Friday sent wastewater from the jail into offices below. Courts and related offices are shut down while crews remove damaged carpet and drywall, sanitize and dry the building.
The Monroe County justice building will be closed at least through Wednesday (July 29) according to a message sent out through the county government’s emergency alert system around noon on Monday.
The official name of the building is the Charlotte T. Zietlow Justice Center.
Offices to be closed include the courts, clerk, prosecutor’s office, public defender’s office, probation and child support. People who have business with the courts are supposed to call the specific court handling the case to find out when it has been rescheduled. Those who aren’t sure which court is handling their case are supposed to call 812-349-2615.
The building is shut down, because it saw a sewer backup around 4 p.m. on Friday (July 24), which sent water from the jail, on the top two stories of the building, through ceiling tiles into offices below.
Already on Friday, the closure of the building was announced for Monday. Monday’s noon announcement extended the closure at least another two days.
On Friday evening, Angie Purdie, who is the administrator for the county commissioners, had anticipated that the closure could go past Monday.
The building is getting cleaned, sanitized, and dried, Purdie said. The needed work includes more than just cleaning. Purdie said that carpet and drywall are being removed as necessary.
Purdie said the building’s closure stemmed from a “blockage [of a sewer line] created by inmates” in the jail, which is located in the top two floors of the building.
Parked on College Avenue north of 7th Street on Monday around noon were four vehicles from Service Master, the same company that responded to the sewer backup on Friday.
The complete message sent out on Monday:
At this point in time, the Justice Building will be closed through Wednesday, July 29th – this includes the Court, Clerk, Prosecutor’s office, and the connected offices (Probation, Child Support, and Public Defender). County officials will reassess as they go through each day, and if the Justice Building is going to be closed longer, an advisement will be sent out.
All scheduled court proceedings are cancelled. The Clerk’s office is closed. It is recommended you contact the court handling your case to reschedule when the building re-opens. If you are unsure as to what court, call Court Administration at 812-349-2615.
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